


absinthe

by bakakateme



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Drunk Arguing, Drunken Confessions, During Canon, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29640543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bakakateme/pseuds/bakakateme
Summary: kaoru finds himself stuck with the unfortunate job of picking up a drunk kojiro.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	absinthe

_incoming call from-_

”decline the call, carla.”

_call declined. incoming call from-_

”decline.”

_call declined. incoming call from-_

”...pick up, carla.”

_picking_ _up_.

“you knew it was me calling right away? i’m touched,” sounds a familiar voice. it’s deep and gravelly, settling somewhere low in kaoru’s stomach and buzzing through his veins.

”yes, unfortunately your stupidity is so obvious it even resounds across phone lines,” kaoru responds dismissively. “what do you want?”

”cold as ever, kaoru. can’t i just call my old friend? have a nice conversation, for old times’ sake?” kaoru clicks his tongue.

”you never call unless you want something. spit it out, kojiro.” a dramatic sigh resounds through his phone speaker.

”if you insist. i can’t see straight, can you come pick me up?”

”no.” he goes to hang up, but kojiro’s frantic voice reaches him first.

”come on, kaoru. yuki is working tonight, and-“ kaoru scoffs. 

“really? i’m not always going to be around to be your backup choice, kojiro.” he presses the end call button slightly more aggressively than usual, a headache beginning to brew somewhere beneath his temples.

he had guessed correctly; there was no way kojiro would’ve been calling him to just talk, or whatever other bullshit excuses he had stored and ready on that silver tongue of his.

he didn’t mean to say something with so much truth buried behind it, but kaoru finds that this is simply one of those rare occasions that he’s annoyed to be in the right.

pushing his glasses up on his nose, he swipes his keys off the kitchen table.

“carla, start the car.”

_starting the car._

* * *

kojiro doesn’t bother calling kaoru again. he knows the other man won’t pick up.

”’m surprised he picked up at all, really,” he mumbles, leaning further against the brick alley wall as the street sways and curves in front of him. 

at least kaoru doesn’t have to see him stinking of booze and unable to even walk straight; how embarrassing would that be? knowing him, kaoru would take at least ten photos exactly at kojiro’s worst moments and hold them over his head for the rest of time.

he wonders if he should’ve told kaoru the truth, but he shrugs it off. either way, the pink-haired man probably would’ve found a way to lay the blame on him; and honestly, kojiro understands why. he shouldn’t have called at all.

”stop wallowing and get in the car, you musclebound gorilla.”

kojiro squints; did the alcohol really get to him so much that he’s hallucinating? despite the inability to see, he’s pretty sober, if he does say so himself.

”then i’ll just leave you here, shall i?” kaoru asks archly, and kojiro immediately scrambles for the car door.

”i knew you cared about me,” he says, managing a feeble smirk. kaoru doesn’t respond. “look, kaoru, i-“

”i don’t care.”

one second. two. kojiro’s never been good at keeping his mouth shut, especially when he’s inebriated.

”why do you always do this?”

”always clean up after you? i don’t know, why do i?”

”no! why do you always- you- you’re just-“ he scrambles for words, waving his hands in the air as if it’ll magically clarify his point. kaoru looks unimpressed.

”i’m just what, kojiro?” kojiro looks across the seat at kaoru, who has his eyes fixed on the road. safety first, just like always. even before their gods damned conversation. he can’t believe he’s in love with someone like that.

”...excuse me?”

”what now?” kojiro snaps. kaoru rips his eyes away from the windshield and sends a glare so piercing it could probably kill at kojiro.

”what the fuck did you just say?”

there is silence for a while as kojiro’s alcohol addled brain tries to figure out what possibly could’ve happened to make kaoru curse, something he hasn’t done since he got rid of his piercings and picked up the calligraphy brush.

”oh.”

he figures it out.

” _oh_ , indeed, you boneheaded-” kaoru takes a deep breath, turning the next corner more sharply than he intended. his next words, however, come with an uncharacteristically vulnerable undertone. “did you mean what you said?”

kojiro gapes like a dead fish.

”if you didn’t mean it, i’m going to assume you thought i was yuki, since your mental functions are clearly more useless than usual,” kaoru says, his usual steel back in his voice. 

“oh my god,” says kojiro. “yes, i motherfucking meant it, and i don’t even know why when you keep doing things like, like _that_! you don’t even have to keep acting, okay? i know you don’t think i’m good enough for you, so just- drop me off at my house, and we can pretend this never happened due to my ‘useless mental state’ that you despise so much, and for the gods damn record, yuki and i broke up!” 

there is blissful silence for a total of 0.2 seconds before kojiro realizes that instead of dropping him off, kaoru is pulling over.

”HAH? wait, what? stop! fuck, god, i said i was sorry! don’t fucking kill me, you shitty tech freak!”

”you have never apologized to me once in your miserable life, you philanderer,” kaoru says icily, and then his hand is fisted in the front of kojiro’s shirt and his lips slotted on top of kojiro’s own. 

“you- you- you- WHAT?” 

“shout a little louder, why don’t you. i don’t think they heard you in australia yet,” kaoru says, looking somehow smug and fed up at the same time. kojiro stares at him, wide eyed.

”did you just kiss me?”

”no, kojiro, it was carla. are you brain-dead?”

“quit calling me braindead after you just fucking kissed me, you stupid princess!” kojiro snaps. normally, he wouldn’t be this frustrated, but he’s had a shit night and he really doesn’t understand what’s going on. “can’t you act normal for once?” 

kaoru rubs his temples.

”i like you back, you- i like you back. kojiro.”

”i can’t- i can’t do this right now.” kojiro’s hand finds the door handle, and he realizes he’s shaking. “i need to go home.” he pulls open the door and stumbles out, vision swimming.

”oi, wait! you’re drunk, you’re going to-“

”is this some kind of sick joke?” kojiro snaps, whirling on kaoru. “i know what you think of me, so just-“

”you don’t know _shit_ , kojiro, so just listen to me for once in your life!” kaoru snaps, and kojiro freezes. “if anyone was joking, it would be you and your borderline harem. you have no right to be talking about what i think of you when you’ve shown me plenty of times you don’t see me as anything other than a second choice, someone who’s here to clean up your messes. you started this, so get back here and take some damn responsibility!”

”i told you yuki and i broke up-“

”it’s not about yuki! it’s about you, and how you have never shown me once that you thought of me as anything besides your safety net, and i’m sick of it!” kaoru shoves his hands through his hair, and kojiro is struck by the memory of how soft it felt that one time kaoru fell asleep on him in high school.

”that’s only because if you knew i was going to you first, you’d mock me!” 

“do you really think i’m that type of person, kojiro?” kaoru takes a deep breath before looking right at him. “i think you need to figure out what the hell you're doing before you try and pin anything on me. go home like you wanted, and think about what you’re doing.”

”you sound like my mom,” kojiro grumbles, but he turns and walks down the sidewalk. the bar was close to his home already, so at least he knows how to get there from here. “and i do know what i’m doing, dammit.”

kaoru snorts, but his next words almost sound sad.

”i really doubt that, kojiro.” 


End file.
